TheChat: It’s a big day in America

“Vote. Vote. Vote. Vote. Vote.” — President Barack Obama urging Democrats in Pennsylvania, and across the nation, to head to polling sites on Tuesday.

The president said the U.S. should be able to do as well as Ukraine, which is engaged in war and had a 60 percent voter turnout in recent elections. “There is no excuse for us to just give away our power,” Obama said.

“I don't agree with the oddsmakers.” — Vice President Joe Biden on CNN saying he believes Democrats will hang onto the Senate.

This is what politicians say the weekend before an election, no matter how much evidence is mounting up on the other side of the ledger. Biden also said that if Republicans somehow do manage to win a Senate majority Tuesday night that it won’t change Obama administration priorities.

“I don't care if she's as good looking as Taylor Swift or as nice as Mr. Rogers, but if she votes like Michele Bachmann, she's wrong for the state of Iowa.” — retiring Iowa Sen. Tom Harkin, a Democrat, talking about Republican Senate candidate Joni Ernst of Iowa.

Harkin also described Ernst as “really attractive and she sounds nice.” You don’t want to go there, senator. You don’t want to turn a rival candidate locked in a close race into a martyr shortly before election day. Sure enough, Ernst was soon on Fox News saying how offended she was by Harkin’s remarks. “I believe if my name had been John Ernst....Senator Harkin would not have said those things.”

“I promise you it’s a lesson we will not forget.” — Texas Sen. John Cornyn, a Republican, talking about the GOP’s new push to ensure that conservative Republicans who cannot win general elections — read: Todd Akin in Missouri — will from now on be hard-pressed to win party nominations.

Cornyn, who has twice chaired the National Republican Senatorial Committee, said the party has evolved, and it’s not turning back. For example, GOP allies spent heavily to ensure that Milton Wolf would not upset Kansas Sen. Pat Roberts in the August primary.